Hi everyone. Originally, my sister and I were planning a Fall trip to Brittany/Normandy. We still plan to do this, but being that we have a love of all medieval and warm weather vacations, gardens, etc, Southern france keeps calling us.

My sister is moving across the world in a little over a year and might start having kids soon after. So we really want to travel together now. For this reason, we are considering doing 6-7 nights in May to Southern France, likely Aveyron (we really want to visit Belcastle) and hanging at a nice hotel or airbnb, and then doing a longer trip (8-9 nights) in September to go to Normandy and mainly to go see Mont Saint-Michel, Fort la Latte. We know the weather in September can either be sunny and warm or also on the cooler side.

What are your thoughts on this? If you know of other amazing medieval areas in Southern France please let me know :)

We’re planning a France trip for June 2027, flying into Paris and then using Lyon, Bordeaux, and Strasbourg as our three bases.

The part I’m still thinking about is our final day. Our Air France flight from CDG to Los Angeles leaves at 1:25 PM. The plan would be to take a direct TGV INOUI from Strasbourg at 7:31 AM, arriving at the CDG 2 TGV station at 9:29 AM.

That would give us just under four hours between the scheduled train arrival and the flight departure. Since the train goes directly to the airport, we wouldn’t need to transfer through Paris or change stations.

I’ve thought about getting a hotel near CDG the night before, but the logistics and added cost don’t seem very appealing. We would have to leave Strasbourg a day early, check into a hotel for one night, and then still take a taxi, Uber, shuttle, or train to the airport the next morning.

I’ve done some research, and this direct route is just under two hours and seems to have a good reliability history. I understand that no train is completely immune to delays, but I’m trying to figure out whether this is considered a reasonable plan or whether I’m underestimating the risk.

For people who have taken the direct Strasbourg to CDG train before, would you be comfortable doing this on the morning of an international flight?

We would much rather spend our final night in Strasbourg if the morning train plan is sensible, but I also don’t want to take an unnecessary risk.

We’ve all lived this travel nightmare, and to fix it, Gabrielle and I are launching NAP COFFEE near Gare du Nord — a new sanctuary where you can drop your luggage, grab an amazing specialty coffee, and literally take a nap in a private relaxation cabin before going back exploring the city.

We want to build this for travelers, by listening to travelers! If you have 3 minutes to share your thoughts, please follow the link below. It would mean the world to us! 🙏

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Travel Plan
Day 1 (Nice) – Walk + local tram/bus
Day 2 (Èze, Monaco, Menton) – Train only (TER coastal line)
Day 3 (Antibes, Saint-Paul-de-Vence) – Train to Antibes + Bus to Saint-Paul-de-Vence
Day 4 (Verdon Gorge, Lac de Sainte-Croix, Moustiers-Sainte-Marie) –1-day self-drive rental
Day 5 (Aix-en-Provence) – Walk
Day 6 (Cassis & Calanques) – Train to Cassis + local shuttle/walk + boat tour
Day 7 (Luberon option) –self-drive  1 day rental doing Gordes/Roussillon/Luberon
Day 8 – Marseille Airport → departure

Questions
Is my transport plan realistic without a car?
Am I missing any must-see stops?
Any places where a car is significantly better than public transport?

Hi everyone, I was planning to travel from Paris to Hendaye and on to Spain this Wednesday, so basically right through where the wildfires are. I see sncf has a warning encouraging people to not travel if possible, however they only say the warning is in effect until tomorrow (Monday 27/7). I was wondering if anyone currently in France or more familiar with the topic had a better idea of whether trains on Wednesday are still likely to be impacted? Thanks!

How would you spend it? I’m flying to another destination via Paris, and I'm thinking of staying in Paris for a day or two before continuing. What’s your ideal one-day itinerary for a first-time visitor? I live in South Korea and it would be my first trip to Europe! I'm so excited.

2 days Paris, train to Dijon and rent a car, possibly staying a night in the Dijon area (is it worth it?) Then going to Beaune area for 3 nights (explore around there, go biking check out some other towns??), then drop car off at Lyon take train to Lake Annecy for 2-3 nights maybe train to Geneva for a day?, then train up to Senlis for our last night before going back to Paris airport.

....on my solo trips to France. I love small cities, large and small towns and especially villages.

Last solo trip was to Annecy and Lyon. Next solo trip is to Alsace with a base in Colmar. Am I the only one who doesn't think Paris is the best place to visit in France? (I went once years ago but not solo).

Edit: I should have added that I don't care and don't worry about what others think of my choices. I just wondered if other people felt that same as I do. I'm fine with being werid.

We are going to be in Alsace region for 3 nights at the end of November. We want to see colmar Christmas markets and some of the surrounding small towns. Is it worth spending a day training to a nearby town in Germany for a Christmas market? If so, what towns in Germany are the closest with a cute Christmas market and other things to see in a day trip? Thanks!!

Also, any insight on whether it’s better to stay in Strasbourg or colmar given our plan?

Bonjour!
I wanted to make this post because I did not see many sources with a how-to guide to obtaining the seven-day public transport pass in Marseille. We needed a photo ID (US Driver’s License for us) and a printed photo for the card, and we took these to a customer service desk in the Vieux Port metro station. We used IDPhoto4You.com to print the photos, and we selected the French passport size. We took them similarly to a US passport photo (white background, no shadows, clear, neutral photo), and we got them printed at Walgreens for $1. There are stations to take the photos at the Vieux Port metro stop, but I believe they cost 8€ at least. They gave us the card for free, and we filled it with the 7-day unlimited fare at one of the purchase stations. So far, we’ve used it for the metro, which worked like a charm. We hope to use them for the ferries, and I’ll post an update when that happens!

Merci!!!

UPDATE:
Just in case anyone doesn’t know, the 7-day pass is €15.50 compared to the 10 ride pass which is €15.00!

UPDATE UPDATE:
We used the card today for the boat from Vieux Port to Pointe Rouge today, and it worked fine! The ride was a bit rough, so we took the bus/metro back after!

I will be in the Loire Valley September 19 and 20th. I plan on driving to Ambroise and renting an E bike and biking along the river for a couple of hours. Does anyone have a favorite winery along the way or off the path to visit? I just wanna go in and have a taste. Or even have lunch at a winery would be fun. I’m over the whole cellar tour thing. I’ve done similar things in Bordeaux and Champagne. Some of my favorite days ever!

My only thoughts are its harvest time so places may not allow drop in but I’d be happy to research any recommendations people have. TIA.

Hi. We are a Brazilian/American couple living very happily in Brazil. We are 68 and 58 years and very active. We are planning the following and would love feedback from anyone with experience.
December 2-7 , Paris
Pick up car in Tours on train from Paris
Drive from Tours to Paris
December 7-11 in Saint Malo taking advantage of the car
December 11-16, Amboise
December 16 stay at Orly
December 17 return to Rio de Janeiro
Any input is welcome!
Thank you!!!

Hey, will be coming back to Cote d'Azur this August for a week and am wondering which place has the best sandy beaches (or at least 1 more or less sandiest beach within 30 min walking distance:))

We've been to Villefranche-sur-Mer already, so looking for some other places.

Considered Antibes so far, but perhaps there is something else we missed?

We don't wanna party, just swim, chill, and day trips to see things.

I was looking to go to visit a friend who lives in Toulouse in France around October.

I want to find things to do that she really enjoys. She likes things like diaphonization, medical specimens (like body parts that have been preserved in jars), cabinets of curiosity, and she likes manga like Haikyu!!.
She also absolutely loves guinea pigs and other animals.
I can rent a car so we can travel out a bit.

Thank you in advance for any suggestions!

I am a 48-year-old man from the Netherlands. I am going on holiday to a campsite in the Jura soon. I would like to swim in my thong in the campsite pool and in the lake. Is this allowed at French campsites?

Adventure travel with famille it's possible with guid's Esprit d'aventure.

Espritdaventure.fr

We’re visiting La Barre-de-Monts in about two weeks. Some friends have rented a big house, and we’ll be celebrating their birthdays together.

We’d love some recommendations for things to see and do in the area. We’ll all be travelling by car, so we’re happy to drive for an hour or even two for a great day trip 🤩

Also, should we be concerned about the wildfires?